The Study of Values as a Social Phenomenon: The Soviet Case
Author(s)
Shlapentokh, Vladimir
Abstract
This paper shows that political change in the Soviet Union has, as elsewhere, clearcut consequences for social research-in this case, the study of values. The emergence of such work in the USSR reveals some gap between official doctrine and personal preference. Such findings, in combination with social and political forces, also influence resources invested in research and the way in which research is directed and organized. The comparative study of values is especially useful in helping us separate the particular from the general -i.e., distinguishing value profiles peculiar to one society in contrast to values which generally characterize industrial societies .
